Seven Arches Aqueduct: The story of a man-made wonder of Leeds

Seven Arches is a Roman-esque aqueduct completed in 1842 to transport water from the Eccup reservoir to Leeds city centre. Underground pipes and tunnels carried the water for most of the six mile route, however at Adel it must cross the Adel Beck, and for this reason the aqueduct was built. The use of this impressive structure in Adel Woods was short-lived after the city’s demand exceeded the aqueducts capacity only 24 years after it was opened. In 1998 the listed structure was successfully stabilised with strained cables at a cost of £160,000, as it was leaning and in danger of collapse. The scheme was awarded a Historic Bridge Award in the year 2000. These wonderful photos take you above and underneath the arches down the decades. READ MORE: What remains of Golden Acre’s theme park LOVE LEEDS? LOVE NOSTALGIA? Join Leeds Retro on facebook